While leaning on the top of his staff in his old age, Jacob blessed and prophesied over each one of his twelve sons. His life was brighter and brighter until the full day (Prov. 4:18), and even when he was old and full of days he was clear in his prophesying with blessing concerning each and every one of his sons.
Over some of them, he exercised judgement and issued warnings, while over others he prophesied with blessing in a positive way.
Due to their disposition and failures, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi did not receive the birthright or the blessing; Jacob’s speaking concerning them is a warning to us all in our Christian life and church life regarding the danger of living in our natural disposition and according to the lusts of the flesh. Such warnings are a blessing to us if we take heed to them and apply them in the spirit.
Judah was blessed with the kingship (typifying the gospel), Zebulun was a port with ships sailing out (typifying the preaching of the gospel), and Issachar was couching among the sheepfolds, ready to bear the burden (typifying the church life).
In the previous article, we saw Jacob’s prophesying concerning Dan, and we were warned concerning apostasy, that is, doing things for our self-interest and desire under the cloak of “worshipping God”.
We need to repent, return to the Lord, fellowship with Him and with the saints, and be blended in the Body so that we may be saved from any apostasy.
In speaking of Gad, Jacob likened him to a victorious one who, though raided by some, raided them at their heel (Gen. 49:19). Moses expands on this in Deut. 33:20-21 saying that Gad is like a lioness, victorious, fighting, judging, and executing God’s righteousness and His judgments with Israel.
The tribe of Gad didn’t just win the victory and entered into their inheritance of the good land, but they crossed the Jordan to fight together with the other tribes of Israel until they also entered into their portion of inheritance.
Gad signifies the recovery of the victory and the fighting for the brothers to enjoy their portion of Christ. Hallelujah, we are all from the tribe of Gad!
Gad: the Recovery with Victory, and Fighting for his Brothers’ Enjoyment of the Good Land
Concerning Gad Jacob said, Gad, raiders will raid him, But he will raid at their heel. (Genesis 49:19) Later, Moses continued to prophesy in Deut. 33:20-21,
And concerning Gad he said, Blessed be He who enlarges Gad. He dwells as a lioness, and tears off the arm, yea, even the top of the head. And he provided the first part for himself, for there the portion of a lawgiver is reserved; and he came with the heads of the people; he executed the righteousness of Jehovah and His judgments with Israel.
After the apostasy with Dan we see the recovery with Gad: Gad is a victorious one, a lioness, being enlarged by God and for God. Gad’s victory – corresponding with his victory in Deut. 33:20 – signifies the recovery of the victory of Christ lost by Dan because of his apostasy.
When the children of Israel entered the good land with Moses and Joshua, the tribe of Dan chose the portion eastward of the river Jordan (see Num. 32:1-32). And to the question of Moses, “Shall your brothers go to war while you stay here?” Gad’s response was very encouraging, “We will not return to our houses until each one of the children of Israel has inherited his inheritance”.
On the one hand, Gad fought the battle, was victorious, and he obtained his portion of inheritance; on the other hand, he didn’t enter into the enjoyment of his inheritance until all his brothers entered into their portion.
Before enjoying his portion, Dan fought together with his brothers to gain their portion of the land west of Jordan, thus executing Jehovah’s righteousness and His judgments in Israel.
Applying this to our Christian experience, we must always take care of the brothers and sisters, the fellow members of the Body, by fighting with them to enter into the enjoyment of Christ.
We may enjoy Christ, touch Him, get into the word in a deeper way to dig out the riches of this vast all-inclusive Christ as the good land, but we need to also fight for our brothers, struggling with them and helping them to enter into their portion of the enjoyment of Christ.
Our enjoyment of Christ, our allotted portion of the good land, is in the Body and for the Body; when we enter into the portion of our inheritance, we need to fight the battle together with the saints so that all the saints may enter into the enjoyment of Christ.
Lord Jesus, recover us from any apostasy of being individualistic or divisive. Recover the victory of Christ in and with all the saints. Bring us into the full enjoyment of Christ as the good land. Lord, we want to be those who enjoy You and fight for the other members of the Body to enjoy You! Enlarge our heart and duplicate Your caring heart in us in the church life today. May Your righteousness be executed among us as You enlarge us for Yourself. Lord Jesus, keep us enjoying You and fighting for the saints to enjoy You!
Not being Individualistic in our Enjoyment of Christ but Taking Care of the Need of the Brothers
Even though Gad took the “first part” (Deut. 33:21), that is, the first portion of the good land before crossing the river Jordan, he did not remain there to enjoy it for himself; rather, he went with “the heads of the people” (the other tribes of Israel) across the river to fight the battle for the rest of the land.
We should not be individualistic in our experience and enjoyment of Christ, but we should take care of the Body, being filled with a sense for the Body. Taking care of the Body at the cost of letting go of our own enjoyment is righteousness in God’s eyes.
In Rom. 12:2 we see that we need to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, and we will be able to prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
According to Rom. 12, the will of God is to have the Body life; we can prove what the will of God is (that is, we can execute the righteousness of God and His judgments) by presenting our body as a living sacrifice for the church life so that all the saints may enjoy Christ.
Nothing is so right as caring for the members of the Body, and when we pay the price of losing our own enjoyment so that others may enter into the full enjoyment of Christ, we execute God’s righteousness and prove the will of God in the church life.
Dan failed because of his individualism – he won the victory but he became proud and presumptuous, setting up another worship centre. But Gad had success because he was corporate, entering into his portion of the good land only after all his brothers gained theirs; he moved with his brothers.
In New Testament terms, we need to follow Gad’s example by taking care of the Body corporately, being filled with the corporate sense of the Body, and caring for the members of the Body for the accomplishing of God’s will, which is to have the Body life.
We are blessed if we exercise our spirit and go to the prayer meeting, denying ourselves and forgetting about our tiredness, so that all the saints may be encouraged and edified.
We are one of the tribe of Gad when, even though we don’t have much money, we consecrate ourselves to the Lord and give for His move and for the church. We will be successful if we not only enjoy Christ but also help others enjoy Christ and enter into their inheritance in Christ.
God’s good, perfect, and well-pleasing will is manifested in the church life as the saints present their bodies as a living sacrifice and fight for one another’s enjoyment of Christ.
When we care for other’s needs above our own, when we are filled with a sense of the Body of Christ and care for the members of the Body to enjoy Christ, we will enter into our enjoyment of Christ in a rich way.
May we be filled with such a sense for our fellow brothers and sisters, fighting with them and for them to enter into their allotted portion of the all-inclusive Christ, the good land.
Lord Jesus, we refuse to be individualistic in our enjoyment and experience of Christ. Lord, we choose to fight with and for our brothers and sisters to enter into the full enjoyment of Christ. Fill us with a corporate sense of the Body of Christ so that we may care more for the need of the other members of the Body than for our own need. Lord Jesus, we present our body as a living sacrifice acceptable to You for the church life so that we may prove what Your will is, that which is good and perfect and well pleasing.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ed Marks’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Genesis (msg. 103), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Genesis (3), week 11 / msg 11, Jacob’s Prophesying with Blessing (2).
- Picture credit for Deuteronomy 33:20-21 and more spiritual quotes on this topic via, Christian Pictures Blog.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Our Christ is so enjoyable, / His life is so applicable; / He lives in us to cause the flow / To reach the world, His life to show. / Oh saints, don’t just sit idly by; / Rise up! Your gift do not despise; / Let’s eat and drink of this sweet Christ! (Song on Enjoying Christ)
# Aren’t you satisfied and thankful / That our Lord has brought you in / Where His pleasures and His riches flow so free? / So be happy and be joyful, / In the spirit feast on Him, / So God’s garden can bear fruit abundantly. (Hymns #1237)
# For the Lord’s up-to-date move, let’s fight and pay the price, / Enter and possess the land, our all-inclusive Christ! (Song on Fighting to Pay the Price)
# Let us corporately come forth, / Let us wage the worthy fight / That Your building might be built / And the world may see Your light. (Song on Fighting for the Building)
Amen! I love footnote 1 on Gen 49:19 on “their” in the Recovery Version,
Gad’s victory in this verse, corresponding to his victory in Deut. 33:20, signifies the recovery of the victory of Christ lost by Dan because of his apostasy. According to Deut. 33:20-21, Gad was enlarged because of his victory; he provided the first part of the good land (the land east of the Jordan) for himself, but before enjoying his portion, he went with his brothers and fought with them to gain their portion of the land west of the Jordan (Num. 32:1-32), thus executing Jehovah’s righteousness and His judgments in Israel. Dan’s failure was because he was individualistic and cared only for himself, whereas Gad’s success was because he was corporate and took care of the need of his brothers. In New Testament terms, to follow Gad’s example we need to have the corporate sense of the Body and care for the members of the Body for the accomplishing of God’s will, which is to have the Body life (Rom. 12:1-21).